Catalog Year Policy

The Policy

For an explanation of the policy and procedural guidelines for catalog year implementation, see the official policy in the catalog.

Catalog Term Obsolescence

At the time of graduation, all students, including transfer students, must use a catalog that is not more than 10 years old. A student may petition to the head advisor of their college for any extension of a catalog greater than 10 years from their expected graduation term.

Catalog Term in the Curriculum Record

The catalog term of the curriculum record governs the catalog year used to evaluate baccalaureate core and university degree requirements in MyDegrees. The term here should reflect the term of the student’s admission and matriculation at a particular student level or their term of readmission at a particular student level. For Degree Partnership Program students, the first term the student is admitted to OSU will be the matriculation date and will determine the catalog year for institutional and baccalaureate core requirements.

Also, changing degree type (e.g. BA to BS degree) does not necessitate a change in the curriculum record unless that degree type was not available in that college and major at the original time of matriculation.

Field of Study Catalog Term

The 'field of study' is a major, minor, option, or certificate. Each field of study can carry a different catalog term from one another and from the curriculum catalog term. The field of study catalog term is determined by the term in which that particular field of study was officially declared by the student and entered into Banner. However, if the student is pursuing a major and option, the major and the firstoption associated with that major must have the same catalog term. If the option being declared did not exist at the time of the major declaration, then the major catalog term must be moved forward to the term the new option was declared. Subsequent majors/minors/options/certificates will be assigned a catalog term based on the term they were declared.

Also, students, in consultation with their advisor, can choose to move their field of study catalog year forward. This is accomplished by submitting a signed Catalog Declaration form with the appropriate catalog term designation. Catalog terms can be moved forward, but not backward, in time (with the exception of moving the first option back to synchronize it with the major).